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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231562">If you love me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm_master/pseuds/bookworm_master'>bookworm_master</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>World on Fire (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Brother Feels, On a Journey, Protective Harry, Quick drabble</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:54:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231562</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm_master/pseuds/bookworm_master</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>„If you love me you will look after Jan!“</p>
<p>Kasia’s last words rang in his ears even though the train had left the station what felt like ages ago. Jan had kept his hand against the window, as if he could still feel his sister’s on the other side of the glass. </p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Set at the end of the first episode of World On Fire, when Kasia lifts Jan on the train to go with Harry to England instead of herself. They travel to England, and Harry slips in the roll of the big brother.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>If you love me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had so many feels about Harry's departure from Warsaw, so here is me coping with them. Jan is a strong little boy and Harry becomes kinda like a protective big brother.<br/>Sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language so bear with me.<br/>Oh, and I also don't speak Polish, so everything is written in English, just imagine Jonahs voice when he's talking Polish in the series.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>„If you love me you will look after Jan!“</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kasia’s last words rang in his ears even though the train had left the station what felt like ages ago. Jan had kept his hand against the window, as if he could still feel his sister’s on the other side of the glass. Silent tears filled his eyes and threatened to spill over. He could feel his hand tremble on Jan’s shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s alright, it’ll be alright.” The words tumbled out of his mouth and he wasn’t sure  who they were meant to comfort more. His heart ached when he realized why Kasia had kissed him so desperately. She had said goodbye, sent him the message through her lips. The ghost of her hand was cradling his face, the memory of slender fingers brushing through the hair at the nape of his neck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With a sharp breath Harry straightened his shoulders and pushed those thoughts deep down inside him. He couldn’t break now, not in front of Jan. God knows the little boy needed someone strong at his side now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Come on, we’ll find some seats.” Gently steering the boy with a hand on his shoulder they walked along the aisle, looking for the others. Near the group of Englishmen Jan sunk into a chair and turned to stare out of the window. Harry could see him wipe his sleeve across his face, clearly trying to hide his tears.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harry stowed their luggage on the overhead board and sat across from Jan. “You’ll be save now.” He hoped his own language would give the boy a little comfort, so he ignored the looks the others gave him when he continued in Polish.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When I was your age I dreamed of travelling, of seeing other countries. I’m so sorry you had to leave like this. But I promise you I’ll do everything I can to make you feel welcome in England.” Jan’s posture didn’t change,  his hands were balled into fists in his lap and his gaze focused on some point in the distance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harry sighed. His thoughts drifted to his mother. She wouldn’t be happy, even though it was hard to tell the difference between that and her normal behaviour. When he married Kasia he had known his mother would never approve of her. A polish waitress, in her eyes even Lois would have been a better match probably.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lois. Should he tell her? No, she was the one who kicked him to the curbs time and time again. He doubted she’d even want to talk to him. Lest alone care who he married. She’d probably moved on by now. But still, no matter how badly he wished for her to have found someone else, a tiny part of his heart still felt for her deeply.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A small noise jostled him out of his thoughts. “How long will it take until Kasia comes to join us?” Harry’s eyes softened at the question. “That’s hard to say really, but I will try everything I can to get her to us as soon as we arrive home.” He reached across to take Jan’s hat off. The boy looked at him with so much trust he could feel it in his heart.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Then I’ll be brave. I promised her.” With those words Jan sat up a little straighter and wiped his nose in his sleeve. Harry smiled at the picture in front him. Jan’s little feet couldn’t even reach the floor properly, his eyes still looked glassy and his fingers were nervously playing with his hat. Yet it was clear that he intended to keep that promise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>At the harbour they were controlled for the first time. Soldiers ordered them into long queues and checked their papers. Harry took Jan’s hand in his when they finally walked past the last checkpoint. Not too long now and they would reach English soil.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jan seemed speechless as they walked over the gangway to the ship. His head turned left and right, taking in the other passengers as well as the view around them. More than once Harry had to wait for him to catch up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their cabin was small, the embassy couldn’t afford much more than a closet for their employees. But Jan seemed contempt enough in the top bunk, after Harry had lifted him up there. Not many words were exchanged between them that night. Harry found some pyjamas for Jan in the suitcase Kasia had handed him. Closing his eyes he hid his face in them for a moment, breathing in Kasia’s scent before handing them to Jan. If the boy had noticed his little weakness he didn’t say anything about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It felt like only moments had passed since Harry finally closed his eyes. At first he couldn’t quite figure out what had woken him, but then he heard the noise again. Jan was turning above him, muttering under his breath. Harry stood to gently shake him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Jan! Jan you’re dreaming. Wake up, you’re save here.” With a jolt Jan woke, and stared at him. Without hesitation he threw his arms around Harry’s neck. Harry squeezed him as tight as the slightly awkward angle allowed and kept muttering sweet nonsense in his ear. He could feel Jan relaxing in his arms and moved to lay him back down.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Is Grzegorz save?”, he asked in a small voice. Harry stroked his head. “Your father is with him, they’ll look after each other.” He couldn’t bring himself to make any promises. Danzig had been overrun, and from what he heard not many of the fighting men had survived, if any at all. From what he knew Jan might have lost half of his family.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After Jan settled back into a restless sleep Harry closed his eyes and let his mind wander to Kasia, his wife. Even though they had not married for the right reasons, as Kasia put it, he still loved her. Maybe enough that one day, had their lives been different, he would have proposed properly. He would have asked her father first of course, and her mother. Bought a beautiful ring and planned a nice evening with candles and dinner. And after he listed everything he loved about her he would have knelt down in front of her and asked her to become his wife.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He smiled through the tears. No matter the circumstances, their wedding had still been wonderful, and the night that followed even better. Lost in his memories he finally drifted off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>***</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harry had thought Jan’s eyes were huge on the ship, yet they were nothing compared to their arrival in England. This time he didn’t take his hand from Jan’s back as they walked, too afraid to loose him in the mass of people. They had no trouble with the papers, and not long after their landing they found the car to take them home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Much like on the train they stayed mostly silent during the car ride. At one point Jan fell asleep on Harry’s shoulder, and Harry moved his arm ever so slightly so he would rest comfortably against his chest. The level of trust Jan held for him never seized to amaze him. So he kept stroking his back every time Jan’s face showed even the smallest sign of discomfort.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When they were nearing his home Harry shook Jan awake gently. “We’re nearly there.” He paused, pondering his words. “Just so you know, my mother can be a difficult woman. She is nowhere near as loving as yours.” Jan nodded. “I’ll be brave.”, he repeated. Harry smiled and handed him his hat. “You already are.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gravel crunched under the wheels as the car pulled up to the front door. Harry stepped out, suitcase in one hand, his hat in the other. Nothing around here had changed, neither the house nor his mother, glaring from the door. Both looked exactly the same as he had left them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He heard the other door open and Jan stepped out of the car. Harry started walking towards his mother, trying to take her attention away from the boy. But Jan seemed frozen on the spot, staring at the entrance door and his mother. Harry stopped and turned towards him. Jan looked so small in that moment, so far away from home and all but lost.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When Jan’s eyes fixed on him Harry could see him square his shoulders and start walking. He smiled reassuringly down at the boy and placed his hand on his back, guiding him towards his mother. Her face had fell into a disapproving expression the moment Jan stepped out of the car.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The greeting was short and cold, a small kiss on the cheek with no words exchanged, and he could feel the glare his mother directed at Jan. Harry ignored the bitter feeling that settled into his stomach the best he could. He guided Jan into his home, and set the suitcase down in the entrance hall. This was going to be interesting.</p>
<p> </p>
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